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Juana & Lucas

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By DeeDee
 
Juana & Lucas
By Juana Medina
Candlewick Press, 2016. Intermediate. 88 p.
Juana lives in Columbia and her best friend is her dog Lucas. She loves her mother, she loves her school friend, and she even likes her teacher. She is a pretty good student, until they start learning English at school. English is just too crazy, and the "th" sound tickles her tongue. Juana wonders why she even needs to learn English.

Here is an intermediate book that is on some of the potential Newbery lists and deservedly so.  The writing is fun and full of energy.  There are a lot of Spanish words inserted into the text, but their meanings are clear from context. Medina is both author and illustrator, and the pictures on every page have plenty of kid appeal. Non-native English speakers will love this book, but native English speakers will, too, and it will help them understand, at least a little, the challenge of learning our wacky language.

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